Latinos for a Secure Retirement Marks Boost Your Budget Week July 13-17 with Cafecito to Connect Older Adults in San Antonio to Benefits

SAN ANTONIO, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Latinos for a Secure Retirement is committed to empowering all older adults in San Antonio to age well. During July 13-17, 2020, it is partnering with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to mark Boost Your Budget Week with a Cafecito (coffee chat) to discuss how older residents are fairing amidst COVID-19 and how they may be eligible for money-saving benefits programs.

An estimated $30 billion in public and private benefits go unclaimed every year because older adults don't know about them or how to apply. Latinos for a Secure Retirement is leveraging people power and digital power to connect eligible older adults to programs that will help them pay for food, medicine, rent, utilities, and more.

"COVID-19 has had a severe impact on older adults' health?and their financial security," said Abigail Zapote, Executive Director of Latinos for a Secure Retirement. "Now more than ever is the time to explore how they can boost their budgets with benefits. We will be offering Latino seniors free benefits screenings at our Cafecito."

In San Antonio alone, there are more than 10,000 older adults who are eligible for benefits programs but not enrolled. For older adults living on a fixed income, benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicare Low-Income Subsidy can make a significant difference in supporting their desire to stay healthy, economically secure, and independent in the community.

"Having access to benefits programs means our older friends and neighbors do not have to cut pills in half, skip meals, or turn off the air conditioning in the middle of summer in order to make ends meet each month," said Zapote. "We are here to help older adults understand what benefits they may be eligible for?and take the steps to apply."

In San Antonio, Amerigroup is also supporting Boost Your Budget Week. "At Amerigroup, we know that increasing access to services that address social drivers of health is important to helping consumers lead healthier lives," said Ken Satrom, President of Amerigroup's Medicare business in Texas. "We proudly support this initiative because we are committed to improving the lives of people and the health of communities."

Boost Your Budget Week is a national effort sponsored by NCOA to educate older adults about benefits programs. The Latinos for a Secure Retirement Cafecito will be held virtually on July 15 at 7-8 p.m. EDT. The event is free, but interested attendees must register online.

About Latinos for a Secure Retirement
LSR's mission is to safeguard the economic security of those dependent, now or in the future, on Social Security. We seek to protect and improve the economic security of disadvantaged and at-risk Hispanic populations in the United States. To learn more, visit www.latinoretirement.org or follow @LatinosRetire on social media.

About NCOA
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a trusted national leader working to ensure that every person can age well. Since 1950, our mission has not changed: Improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. NCOA empowers people with the best solutions to improve their own health and economic security?and we strengthen government programs that we all depend on as we age. Every year, millions of people use our signature programs BenefitsCheckUp®, My Medicare Matters®, and the Aging Mastery Program® to age well. By offering online tools and collaborating with a nationwide network of partners, NCOA is working to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.

About Amerigroup
Amerigroup is part of the Anthem Government Business Division (GBD). Through the GBD, Anthem serves 7.4 million seniors, people with disabilities, low-income families and other state and federally sponsored beneficiaries, and National Government Services enrollees (including the Federal Employee Program) in 26 states, making us one of the nation's leading providers of health care solutions for public programs. Amerigroup accepts all eligible people regardless of age, sex, race or disability.

This project was supported, in part, by grant #90MINC0001-03-01 from the U.S. Administration on Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington DC 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.

SOURCE National Council on Aging